


almost (sweet music)

by simpforsix



Series: wasteland, baby! [1]
Category: I Am Number Four (2011), The Lorien Legacies - All Media Types, The Lorien Legacies - Pittacus Lore
Genre: Cuddling, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, john definitely needs therapy, like damn this boy has issues, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:07:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26051629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simpforsix/pseuds/simpforsix
Summary: John wakes up from a nightmare. Nine comforts him.
Relationships: John Smith | Number Four/Stanley Worthington | Number Nine
Series: wasteland, baby! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1891165
Comments: 4
Kudos: 17





	almost (sweet music)

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic, hope you enjoy!

Sarah’s screams pierced the cold air. John sprinted towards the sound, praying that she would be okay. He raced past tall pines, branches snapping under his feet. Holding out his palms, he illuminated his Lumen to light his way. Suddenly, the scene around him spun, and he found himself in a clearing. He turned to see a body. His stomach sunk as he ran towards it. 

Sarah. Sarah. Her broken body lay before him, eyes unseeing. And there was blood. Too much blood. He tried to heal her, to no avail. Tears began to pour down his face as he sobbed. 

“You were never good enough, Number Four.” John spun around to see Henri, Sarah standing next to him. “They may see you as their leader, but you know that’s wrong.”

“H-Henri, please!” John stumbled backwards, fog clouding his vision so that all he could see was Henri and Sarah. The two people he’d failed to save. 

“You’re an imposter. You couldn’t even save me. It’s your fault.” Sarah spat. She threw her hands out, and John felt as though he was falling. He closed his eyes as he prepared to hit the ground, air rushing past him. 

John awoke with a start, gasping for air. His gasps soon turned to harsh sobs, and he was unable to stop the sudden flow of tears down his cheeks. He felt a warm hand press against his back, and he shuddered. 

“John? Hey, I’m here, whatever it was you’re safe now.” Nine’s voice reassured him. He could feel his hand rub comforting circles on his back as his sobs echoed through the room. 

“I-I’m sorry. It was j-just a nightmare. S-Sorry I w-woke you up.” John choked out between sobs. He grabbed a handful of the sheets, trying to ground himself. Nine gently removed the sheets from his grasp, holding his hands tightly. John could feel him rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand. 

“Johnny, please don’t ever apologize to me, or anyone for that matter, for having nightmares. You’ve been through some shit.” Nine wrapped his arm over his shoulders, pressing him against his bare chest. John rolled over, resting his face against Nine’s warm skin. He could feel Nine begin to gently comb his fingers through his hair. He reached his hand up, running his fingers against Nine’s bicep and then coming to rest on his chest. He tried to focus on the moment, on Nine’s hand in his hair. Nine began to hum quietly, the vibrations soothing John. His breathing slowed to a more normal pace. 

“Do you think I’m an imposter?” He asked quietly. 

“Hm? Do I–Of course not! Why?”

“Just, so many people have been killed because of me. Because I lead them into battle and they don’t make it out.” His mind drifted to all the people he’d seen die, many of which he hadn’t known. They’d fought for him, and all it had gotten them was a casket.

“Johnny, people dying in battle is not your fault. They made that choice.” John opened his mouth to reply, but found he was too tired to do so. “Besides, if you died in battle, would you want me to blame myself?” 

“Of course not!”

“Yeah, exactly. People die in wars. It’s no use trying to find someone to pin it on besides the person who pulled the trigger.” Okay, maybe he was right. John settled back against Nine’s chest, focusing on the sound of his heartbeat. He found Nine’s hand and laced their fingers together. 

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Pittacus Smith.” John snorted at the nickname. He felt his eyelids grow heavy, and he welcomed sleep. 

He finally felt safe.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm planning on writing a series of fics based on hozier's wasteland, baby! album. they'll be all lorien legacies, mostly stohn but also a few other ships, so stay tuned!


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